Mine car



July 29, 1941. PANCAKE 2,250,601

MINE CAR Filed Marel?. 25, 1940 INVENTOR l E- wmmlm Patented July 2Q, 194i MINE. can

application March 23, 1940, serial No. 325,564

' 5 claims. (ci. 30s- 150) Y This invention relates to mine cars in general and in particular to such cars having antifriction bearings located in the'wheels between the sills of the car. Y

In the past the majority of minecars were built with plainbearings located between the Wheels, thus giving'aV car which ran relatively hard and in which the over all width was materially limited due to the us-e of inside sills. The present trend is toward cars having the sills located outside the Wheels, thus giving a more suitable body and permitting greater width cars to be built. When outside body supports are used it has been found that it is better to place the antifriction bearings in the wheels, thereby supporting the car more efficiently andcutting down the rotating masses as-much as possible. With the bearings placed in the wheel 4and the sills located outside the wheels, it has been necessary in most cases to remove the wheel and axle assemblies from the vehiclefin order .to adjust the bearings to compensate for Wear. Due to the inconvenience of making bearing adjustments, such adjustments have been neglected with the result that bearing failures and out axles are quite-frequent. Itis an object, therefore of the present invention to provide a mine car having outside supports and bearings lin the wheel with adjustingmeans extending through the supports for adjusting the wheel bearings.

Another object of the invention is theprovision of a mine car having improved bearing assembly in which the bearings in the wheel may be adjusted while the car is in service and either loaded or empty. AA stillfurther object of theinvention is the provision .of a mine car bearing. assembly in which the adjusting means for the wheel carried bearings is made integralwith theouter .dust guard in order to prevent the cut-tingof1 axles by the dust guard.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from, a study of the following description andy accompanying drawing, in which: v

Figure 1 is a sectional View taken through the improved car at the axle and showingV .one Wheel and body support;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational View ofthe body support bearing;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View of the combined bearing adjustment means and dust guard;

Fig. 4 is a partial sectional View similar to Figure 1 but showing aslight modification thereof possible when a twopart body bearing is used;

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`for the inner race.

Fig. 5 is an end elevational View of the bearing shown in Fig. 4; f l

Fig.- 6 is a sectional View similar to Figure 1 but showing a still further modification thereof; Fig. 'l .is-a sectional view taken substantially-on line 'l-'l of Fig.-6, and Fig. 8 is a partial sectional View similar to Figs. 1,14 and 6 but showing a slight` modification thereof. f Y

.Referring now to the drawing in detaiLit will be seen that the car body, as represented by partial side sheet 2 and floor sheet Yll, is supported upon longitudinally extending sills 6; itl being understood that a similar silll will be presentat the other side of the car and will be supported kon the axle in exactly the same manner as now de'- scribed. n, Y 1

. Each sillrests upon abody bearing member -8 preferably formed as a casting Witha flat upper surface supporting the sill and an upstanding flange I0 fitting into a gained portion ofthe sill and preventing transverse movement between the bearing and sill. `This body bearingmember may be fastened to the sill. and car body by anysuit..

able means such .as bolts I2. As clearly shown in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, 6 and 8,:the body bearing` member ismade in one piece with avertically elongated opening lll formed therein and adapted to receive andirest on a bearing adjust'- ing sleeve I6 carried bythe. ends of axle I8. AThe axle. is supported at spaced points by wheels W having the hubs thereof counterbored to receive outer races 20 of antifriction bearings 22, the inner races 2i! being slidover and having-a close lit with the axle. As clearlyshown, the bearings are of the tapered type with the innermost inner racev abutting against an inner dust collar 26 `shrunk; on the axle and `thus forminga rigidstop This dust collar is grooved as shown to preventr escape of grease While at the same time preventing entrance ofV dust `or foreign matter into the bearing. WithA the tapered type `of bearing and fixed inner dust guard,

vit will be obvious that wear on the tapered bearvingsmay be compensated for by sliding the outermost inner race inwardly along theaxle. -As clearly shown in Figs. 1,2 and 3 adjustmentof the bearing may be accomplished -from-,thelside of the car through the adjusting sleeve It previously referred to. Thissleeve is tubularin form and has its inner edge bearingdirectlyagainst the outermost inner racegcf the wheel bearing assembly, while 4its outer -end is extended 4sub,- stantially through the bodybearing member and has Welded thereto a washer 36.* ,Thiswasher also has Welded thereto a nut 32 internally threaded and adapted to engage external threads formed on the reduced end 34 of the axle. The nut, as clearly shown, is of hexagonal form and provided with castellations 36 adapted to receive the ends of a cotter or other means 38 extending through the reduced end portion of the axle, thus preventing rotation oi the nut and washer with the attached adjusting sleeve. The adjusting sleeve assembly is completed by welding or otherwise securing thereto adjacent the inner end an outer dust guard Il@ having its outer surface grooved and adapted to cooperate with the hub portion of the Wheel in preventing escape of grease from the bearing or entrance of dustV into the bearing. Since mine cars are subjected to excessive moisture of a highly corrosive nature, a hexagonally shaped cap 4t2 is provided adapted to be driven over the hexagonal nut, thus Vpreventing entrance of moisture to the threads of the nut and reduced axle portion. It will be seen from the preceding description that the bearings inthe wheels may be adjusted by removing the Cotter pin or other means and turning the nut together with the adjusting sleeve and dust collar, thus causing movement of the inner race of thewheel bearing, after which the cotter or other means is again inserted and the adjustment will be held. If, for any reason, the bearing is neglected and the bearings get out of adjustment, theewheel hub will bear on the dust collars and may groove the hub, but such action is not dangerous since the outer edge of the hub portion does not carry any load. With the outer dust guard securely welded to the adjusting sleeve, which is in turn locked by the cotter or other means, it is impossible for this outer dust collar or adjusting sleeve to rotate on the axle and thus there can be no wear on the axle proper with subsequent failure.

In Figs. 4 and 5 a slightly cheaper arrangement is shown Where a two-part body supporting box is used. In this case the body supported member is formed with a downwardly open slot adapted to be closed by a flanged U-shaped strap 5G held in place by the same means which secures the support member to the sills. In this case, due to the two-part body support construction, it is not necessary for the adjusting sleeve and attached parts to slide through the opening in the support member and, therefore, the large hexagonal nut 52 may be Welded directly to the outer end of the bearing adjustment sleeve I6 previously referred to. The internal threads of the castellated nut engage a slightly reduced end portion 54 of the axle, thus permitting adjustment of the wheel bearings in exactly the same manner as that described in connection with Figure 1. It will be seen that the form shown in Figs. 4 and 5 differs from that shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 only in the form of the body support member and the elimination of the Washer 3B from the adjusting sleeve assembly and accordingly common reference numerals have been used wherever possible. In this form also the hexagonal nut is castellated permitting it to be locked in various positions to the axle by cotter or other means 56.

Inthe formshown in Figs. 6 and '7 the adjusting sleeve assembly has been modified slightly by increasing the thickness of the sleeve adjacent the outer end portion and internally threading this portion as at 69 so that the threads may engage external threads E12 formed directly on the ends of the axle. 'Ihe thickened end portion ofthe adjusting sleeve .is also formed-Witha plufl O rality of slots B4 adapted to receive the ends of a cotter or other means extending through holes 66 drilled in the ends of the axle. In this form it Will be seen that adjustment of the bearing may be accomplished by use of a pin wrench or similar tool, after which the adjusting sleeve will be locked in proper position by the cotter or other means. It will be obvious that the enlarged portion on the adjusting sleeve may be formed by either upsetting the metal or by use of a thick cylinder having the major part bored out.

In the form shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, the outer dust guard has been slid over the adjusting sleeve and welded thereto by a double line of weld but in some cases it may be desirable to use standard dust guards and counter-bore these as at 10 (Fig. 8) in order to receive the reduced end portion of the adjusting sleeve to which it will be welded. In this manner the dust guard may be made of high quality steel and will bear directly against the bearing race, While the bearing adjusting sleeve may be made of low quality steel, since it will not be subjected to any Wear in case the bearing should seize causing rotation of the inner raceway. It will be obvious that the adjusting sleeve may be formed at its outer end in either the manner shown in Figs. 1 or 4 or 6, thereby securing adjustment of the Wheel bearings while the car is loaded or empty and without disturbing any of the car structure.

While the invention has been described more or less in detail it is obvious that various modiiications and rearrangements of parts may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as dened by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a mine car the combination of Wheels, antifriction bearings in the wheels, axles supported by said antifriction bearings and extending outwardly beyond said wheels, side sills fixed to said car outside the wheels, body support bearings secured to the sills and supported by the extended portion of said axles, and means on the extended portion of said axles for adjusting the antifriction bearings in the wheels, said means extending through the body support bearings and being accessible from the side of the car and being free to move relative to the body support bearings at all times.

2. In a mine car the combination of wheels, antifriction bearings in the wheels, axlesv supported by said antifriction bearings and extending outwardly beyond said wheels, side sills fixed to said car outside the wheels, body suport bearings secured to the sills and supported by vthe extended portion of said axles, and means on the extended portion of said axles for adjusting the antifriction bearings in the Wheels, said means comprising tubular adjusting sleeve meinbers contacting a part of said antifriction bearings and extending through the body support bearings for sliding and rotational movement relative to the body support bearings, and threaded means engaging said axles for shifting said sleeve members axially of the axle.

3. In a mine car the combination of wheels, antifriction bearings in the wheels, axles supported by said antifriction bearings and extending outwardly beyond said wheels, side sills fixed to said car outside the wheels, body support bearings secured to the sills and supported by the extended portion of said axles, and means on the extended portion of said axles for adjusting the antifriction bearings in the wheels, said means comprising .unitary .tubular adjusting -sleeve members contacting a part of the antifriction bearings and extending through the body support bearings into threaded engagement with the ends of said axles, said sleeve member being free to rotate and slide axially in the body support bearings.

4. In a mine car the combination of Wheels, antifriction bearings in the Wheels, axles supported by said antifriction bearings and extending outwardly beyond said Wheels, side sills fixed to said car outside the Wheels, body support bearings secured to the sills and supported by the extended portion of said axles, and means on the extended portion of said axles for adjusting the antifriction bearings in the wheels, said means extending through the body support bearings into locking engagement with the ends of said axles and being slidable and rotatable relative to said body support bearings.

5. In a mine car the combination of Wheels, antifriction bearings in the wheels, axles supported by said antifriction bearings and extending outwardly beyond said Wheels, side sills xed to said car outside the Wheels, body support bearings secured to the sills and supported by the extended portion of said axles, and means 'on the extended portion of said axles for adjusting the antifriction bearings in the Wheels, said means comprising tubular adjusting sleeve members slidably and rotatably contacting a portion of the adjacent antifriction bearing and extending through the bodyl support bearings into threaded engagement with the ends of said axles, means non-rotatably locking said sleeve members to the axle, and outer dust guard rings for the antifriction bearings secured to said sleeve members.

HERMAN H. PANCAKE. 

